Fingers Crossed || A.H

1. Open Doors

A/n- I know I've been mia for a while, I got uninspired I guess. but my mind is spiraling for this story and I've missed writing. if you see errors no you don't, much love <3

chapter heavily based on s4e5

Those eyes, you never thought you would see them again, and yet they were the last thing you were ever going to see. Dying, it was a funny thing. Somehow, in some twisted way, him being the last person you loved, the last person you saw, it felt right.

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Time heals all wounds, at least that's what all my therapists had told me. And maybe for a second I thought it had, healed that is. Up until I saw his name on this door. With a shaky breath I knocked on it, a small "Come in" coming from the other side of it. His voice was so similar but so different, it sounded more pained if that were possible. Pushing the door open as you stepped in, meeting his eyes. You could see the flash of remembrance behind them, and you hoped he had forgotten what happened that night. "Y/N," he sighed standing up straighter. "It's Agent Y/L/N, actually" you snap. You could see him flinch at your words, okay so maybe he did remember. You sigh, "I didn't know this was your unit I never would have." He cuts you off, "You're part of the team now. We're just two strangers meeting for the first time." You look at his eyes again, but this time there's more pain in them than anything. You nod, silently agreeing to rules neither of you had thought would be put into place.

Following Hotch out of his office, you couldn't help but wonder if he ever thought about you if he missed you. "This is Agent Y/L/N, she'll be joining the team as of today. This is Derek Morgan, Dr. Spencer Reid, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, and Jennifer," Jenniffer, JJ as she says, cuts him off, "Please, call me JJ." You smile at her with a nod. "It's nice to meet you all," you say genuinely. A blonde woman comes running towards the group, "Sir we have a case." Hotch nods and everyone heads for the conference room, you following in tow. "This is Penelope Garcia, our technical analyst," Hotch says, "Garcia, the case please." You sit in the empty chair next to JJ, picking up the file in front of you. "Families are being killed all along Highway 99, the homes are burglarized." Garcia presents. "He's there for hours on end, I mean look at this he eats in their kitchens, sleeps in their beds he even tries on their clothes," Spencer points out. You nod, "He thinks he's smarter than law enforcement, he's cocky." Derek raises a brow at you with a smile, "What makes you say that?" You sigh sitting back in your chair, "His DNA is all over the place, either he knows he's not in the system or he doesn't care. He's crossing jurisdiction lines, he doesn't think anyone will link the murders." Rossi looks at you with a smile, "She's good." You smile shyly, avoiding Hotch's gaze. "Wheels up in 20," he says.

"His cooling off period is getting smaller, he started with a week later and then 8 days, now 5 days," JJ says. Reid sits up, "He also changed directions at the end of September." Hotch stands, "Reid, I want you and JJ with me at the task force headquarters, the rest of you head to the latest crime scene. We're going to log some miles on this one."

You and Emily were speaking to the neighbor of the latest victims. "I saw Larry this morning, he was on the balcony at 5;30AM," she told you. You and Emily glance at each other, thanking the woman for her time. Derek walks up with Rossie, Hotch on the phone with them. "Hoth he's more than likely homeless. He's getting high off cleaning supplies and stealing the husband's clothes." Rossi tells him. "The neighbor also said she saw a man on the balcony around 5:30 AM today, so the unsub was definitely taking his time here today," you add. "If he's homeless how is he getting all over?" JJ asks. You motion for Derek to hand you the phone, "Reid is there a map with all of the railroad tracks in the room there?" You hear shuffling until Reid finally speaks, "Yeah, do you think he's taking trains?" You shake your head even tho he can't see you, "No, I think he's hopping them."

It took five days to catch the unsub, everyone was exhausted and taking advantage of the long flight home for a much-needed sleep. Well everyone except for you and Hotch. He sat across from you, handing you a cup of coffee. You smile up at him, a silent thank you. "How's Hayley?" you ask him. He tenses up, which you don't miss. "We uh, she, well she died 2 years ago," he says. You sigh, "Shit, Aaron, I'm sorry. I know how much you loved her." He glares at you ever so slightly, "Don't make this about that." You sit back stunned and offended. God, he hadn't changed after all this time. "Jesus, I wasn't making it about that. You know contrary to your belief I did care about you." You say standing and walking away. He sighs, clenching his jaw. He had no idea why you needed to come back into his life. Because you were both already breaking the rules.

A/N AH OKAY I DIDNT WANNA GO TOO MUCH INTO IT BUT IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE LIKE LEGIT HOLY SHIT